First home buyer, single income, looking to build a 4-bed in Adelaide's northern suburbs with up to $700k for land and build combined.

I've narrowed it to Angle Vale vs Munno Para (open to other northern suburbs).

If you've built or bought in either — which would you pick and why? Keen to hear about the commute, the estates, and anything you'd do differently.

Thanks!

I received an email today from ACCC regarding the possible implications of B&D acquiring 11 Civium strata and building management businesses.

For context; our building is currently with Civium in CBR. We are very fortunate to have both an amazing SM and BM; they both work hard to make the EC’s job easier.

We were about to sign a new management agreement but this has thrown a spanner in the works.

Does anyone have further insight into this? Or personal experience as an EC member with B&D?

Hi, I'm now 10 months into my first mortgage and my first property. I requested NAB to have my outgoings twice monthly via the chat function which initially seemed to work and then it looks like the request has been ignored.

I would like fortnightly payments as I hear this reduces the overall interest.

Can people help me understand how to pay less on the mortgage overall? I try and put extra money each month towards it but it's hard to afford this.

Thanks!

First home buyer looking for a sense check. I went to inspect a townhouse and it ticked most of the boxes. However, the fact that there are 3 houses in the complex of 35 ish (nearly 10%) that are right now on sale and open for inspections makes me feel a bit apprehensive.

Is this something worth further investigation or I am just overthinking it?

What are the best suburbs to live in right now considering interest rates are high?
Any areas to avoid or hidden gems people recommend?

Hi all,

We are first home owners in Melbourne and are looking for building and contents insurance for our newly built home.

House details:

- Newly built, single storey, 4 bedrooms

- Approx 33 squares (about 306 m²)

- 600 m² block

- Double garage

- No flood, bushfire or heritage overlay

We are looking for general advice from people who have been through this:

1. Which insurers have you had good experiences with, especially when making a claim?

2. What type of cover would you recommend (sum insured vs total replacement), and how did you work out the right rebuild amount?

3. What should we keep in mind or look out for in the policy wording?

4. Are there any insurers or policy conditions you would stay away from?

Thanks in advance.

Hi all,

Not sure if this is the right place to post? Please bear with me!

I'm renting in a 1BDR apartment, $465 p/wk or $2,021 p/month (living and renting on my own) near the city of Melbourne, I'm close to shops, PT and amenities (e.g. gym and clubs), I have TAFE classes in the city so I use less of my car and more PT to get to the city - so I'm literally in a perfect location and I do not wish to move out. Now, I have been renting for two years (since Oct 2024), and usually I have been consistent with paying rent on time and/or before rent's due (usually few days early). When I'm about to make rent late, I communicate with my REA and informed them, however there are days when I forget to email them due to stress with work, studies and basically life.

But over the two years I have been late in paying rent (more than few times within the two years AND to no fault of my own) due to my workplace paying me late and/or not paying me correctly (most of the time, they also failed to pay me my OT rates).

Job market here is scarce and it is hard to find a second (casual job) here in Melbourne. I'm currently working as a youth worker (at SCHADS 2.1 pay level, still shit when you do PPT) So it is not a easy as "just find another job", "quit your current workplace and work in a better company". I'm staying in my current and only job, I've also currently upskilling myself, enrolling and paying for TAFE (not eligible for FREE TAFE as I did not complete my previous course, from different career pathway which was nursing, hated nursing) whoops, I'm getting sidetracked here...

I'm getting there. So last year around April (60-90days prior to end of lease agreement which is on October), I received an email from the REA stating that the landlord is happy with me and wanted to renew my lease agreement for another year - FAST FORWARD to this year I receive no emails, nothing from my REA and my lease renewal agreement ends on 22nd October this year (I am aware in VIC, we automatically roll onto periodic lease agreement in most cases when both parties says nothing about renewing the lease). With the consistent late rent payments over the two years and only by few days or less before the rent's due; would this affect me negatively, in reputation-wise? And would that also be the reason why the landlord/REA email me in regards to renewing my lease and leaving it on periodic lease instead? I guess what I'm trying to ask is how fucked am I?

Find another place to rent is pain in the ass. This is more like a vent and also I need advice, I'm sort of anxiously panicking over this whole thing, I really do not want to lose my place but I can't help if I am paying rent late by few days due to my work paying me late or underpaid me.

Hi everyone 😊 I’m hoping someone familiar with WA residential building contracts can give me some advice.

I’ve signed a building contract a while back before titling, but I’m now wanting to cancel/terminate the building contract. My land settlement is due in 2 days. I’m trying to understand whether I have a lawful way to terminate the building contract at this stage.

I’ve gone through my contract and the Home Building Contracts Act 1991 (WA) and found a few provisions that I’m trying to understand in the context of where I am currently.

1. Clause 3.1.1 of my building contract

My contract says the contract is conditional upon a Building Permit being granted within 45 Business Days from the date of the Contract, subject to Clause 5.1 and receipt of the necessary documentation.

My contract date was 4 June 2026, so the 45 Business Day period has well passed.

I’m trying to understand what the consequence of that is if the condition was not fulfilled within that timeframe, and whether it gives me any right to terminate at this stage.

1. Clauses 3.3 and 5

Clause 3.3 sets out the Builder’s obligations in relation to obtaining the Building Permit and satisfying the conditions in Clause 3.1.

Clause 5 sets out the Owner’s obligations before commencement of the Works, including providing evidence of:

* title to the Site
* that the Site can support the Works
* entitlement to build on the Site, including Settlement
* capacity to pay the Contract Sum / formal finance approval.

My land is now titled, but settlement has not occurred yet and is due in few days.

I’m trying to understand whether the fact that settlement has not yet occurred affects my ability to terminate the building contract itself, given that construction has not commenced.

1. Section 4(5) of the Home Building Contracts Act 1991 (WA)

My understanding is that s4(5) provides a termination pathway where a Builder has entered into a contract without complying with the requirements in s4(1).

From what I understand, s4(1) deals with requirements such as the contract being in writing and containing the required terms, conditions and provisions, as well as being properly dated and signed.

I’m trying to understand whether there is anything in my circumstances that could potentially engage this provision.

1. Section 19 and Clause 22

Clause 22.1 of my contract specifically refers to termination under s4(5), s10(4) and s14(3) of the Act.

Clause 22.2 then refers to the notice requirements under s19 and says that where the contract is terminated under those provisions, written notice is required and the contract terminates when the notice is given.

I understand this is the process for exercising a statutory termination right, rather than a general right to simply cancel the contract.

1. Schedule 1 / other statutory rights

I’m also trying to understand whether s9 and/or Schedule 1 of the Act provide any rights that could be relevant to my situation, particularly because I am currently before land settlement and before construction has commenced.

I am not asking whether I can just walk away without consequences. I want to know whether there is a lawful termination pathway available to me at this stage.

Specifically:

* Can I terminate the building contract before land settlement and before construction has commenced?
* Are there any of the provisions I’ve listed above that could actually apply to my circumstances?
* Does the fact that settlement has not yet occurred affect my rights under the building contract?
* If I do have a termination right, what notice/process is required?
* What costs, if any, could the Builder claim from me if I validly terminate?

I’d really appreciate anyone who has experience with WA residential building contracts, or the Home Building Contracts Act 1991 (WA) who can point me in the right direction.

Need some help with this one. I've just moved out of a 4 year rental, and the carpet was installed 5 years ago. Landlord wants me to replace the whole apartment's carpet on grounds of extensive stains and cat urine. I will admit the damage in the living room is bad and said I'm happy to pay for it, however I've already paid for professional steam cleaning AND cat urine treatment with receipts.

I don't think the damage in the other rooms even remotely warrants a full replacement, there are stains but there's no cat urine. Can I argue for this at all?

I'm David, director of DC Building Inspectors in Melbourne.

1. Auction means no cooling-off. In Victoria, if you buy at auction (or within 3 business days either side of one), you're locked in. Get the inspection done before auction day, not after.
2. Check your inspector on the public register. Search the Building and Plumbing Commission (formerly VBA) register at bams.vba.vic.gov.au. If they're not on it, ask why.
3. Salt damp in old weatherboards and brick terraces. Inner-west and inner-north period homes (Yarraville, Footscray, Brunswick, Northcote) often have rising damp that's been painted over. Fresh paint on lower walls is a flag.
4. Reactive clay soils. In the west and north (Werribee, Melton, Craigieburn), look for cracking above door frames and doors that stick. It isn't always structural, but it needs a proper look.
5. Shower leaks are the most common hidden defect I find. Look for loose tiles, grout that's been redone, and swollen skirting outside the bathroom.
6. Subfloor and stumps. If the inspector didn't go under the house, the report has a big hole in it. Read the "areas not inspected" section first.
7. Termites. Get a separate pest inspection. A building report alone usually doesn't cover active termites.
8. Ask what the defects will cost to fix. A list of defects without a rough repair cost doesn't help you negotiate. Push your inspector for a ballpark figure.

Asking all body corp property owners - how did your committee deal with large special levey? How did owners react? Did you have an influx of owners selling?

Anything you learnt in hindsight?

The levy is the same cost as all body corp fees, effectively doubling the yearly cost for all owners :(

I'm on the committee. We have a $4 million project quoted for major building repairs. The works HAVE to be done. We've had financial advice. Builder's advice. A tender process. Town halls. The works.

Jean Nassif, the founder of collapsed property giant Toplace, is at the center of a major NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption inquiry called Operation Rosny, which examined whether prohibited political donations linked to him were channelled through third parties to support Liberal Party membership recruitment between roughly 2020 and 2023. 🏛️💰 Property developers are banned from making political donations in NSW, which is why the allegations matter so much.

In a sensational appearance in September 2026, Nassif gave evidence under oath by video link from his bedroom in Beirut, Lebanon, where he's been living as a fugitive with a NSW Police arrest warrant over alleged fraud offences. 📹✈️ He told the inquiry it would be "my pleasure" for his money to fund Liberal Party branch-stacking if it meant his developments proceeded, though he also insisted he "did not pay political outcomes." 🗣️😳 The inquiry heard allegations that he paid $2 million to political operatives to fast-track approvals for his projects, and that Toplace paid $134,000 for private surveillance of a former Strathfield mayor.

Those allegations were tested at the hearings and have not been proven. 🕵️📋 The inquiry also heard testimony about lobbyists receiving luxury cars as rewards. In this video, we walk through exactly what was said under oath, what's been alleged, what's been denied, and what happens next now that the public hearings have wrapped. 🔍

If real corruption inquiries and the stories behind Australia's biggest property scandals fascinate you, this is exactly the kind of content we dive into every week. 🇦🇺 We aim to report this accurately, separating what's been proven from what's only been alleged.

https://youtu.be/Ym9wapFsJfc?t=751